The first ‘app’ for diagnosing distant skin problems

The Dermassistance application is a solidarity initiative that brings together dermatologists from around the world with donors and health workers in developing or conflicting countries.

The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (AEDV) presented this Tuesday in Madrid Dermassistance, the first application of teledermatology solidarity to facilitate the rapid diagnosis of skin diseases in developing countries or in places that have just suffered some type Of natural catastrophe. The initiative is part of the Solidarity Dermatology project of the Piel Sana Foundation, which has more than 2,300 members and has more than two years of activity. It is a solidarity initiative that wants to put specialists in contact with those who work in the field and, for this reason, the potential users of the application are, on the one hand, dermatologists from all over the world and different specialties and, Other, cooperating or sanitary personnel of any category.

Dermassistance is a free application and to use it only requires a registration that accredits the user as a dermatologist or co-worker. “The application also has a geolocation system that allows us to know where the query comes from,” explained Sergio Vañó, coordinator of new technologies of the AEDV. Once the registration has been made, the cooperator can upload photographs with the description of each case. “Dermatologists can access all the information organized according to the specialty and comment our opinion to facilitate a diagnosis,” says Vañó, who points out that in many parts of the world a patient has to make a trip of up to two days to consult A dermatologist. “The application allows us to evaluate the case in real time and in a very simple way,” added Vañó.